India’s think-tank may soon undergo an overhaul, with head coach Ravi Shastri, bowling coach Bharat Arun, fielding coach R Sridhar and batting coach Vikram Rathour set to bid goodbye after the T20 World Cup to be held across October-November in the UAE, as per a report published in The Indian Express.
Shastri has informed some cricket board members that he is planning to part ways with the national team after the tournament when his contract ends, it was learnt by the aforementioned website. Some of the other support staff, meanwhile, are already in talks with IPL franchises.
Shastri first took over the reins in 2014 as director till the T20 World Cup in 2016 after which Anil Kumble was appointed for a year. He served as a full-time coach in 2017 after India’s defeat in the Champions Trophy final. With Shastri at the helm, India won two away series in Australia before ending runners-up in the inaugural edition of the World Test Championship.
Arun was instrumental in shaping India’s attack into a world-beating phenomenon while the team’s fielding standards saw a meteoric rise under Sridhar’s tutelage. However, India stumbled at the final hurdles of several ICC events during their tenure, losing in the semifinal of the 50-over World Cup in 2019 and the final of the World Test Championship. The setbacks aside, India took monster strides in their guidance, clean-sweeping Test series in West Indies and Sri Lanka, and putting on noteworthy shows in South Africa and England.
They were a force to be reckoned with in their own backyard, defeating Australia, England and South Africa. India’s bench strength grew from strength to strength with Shastri in charge, and the 59-year-old is also credited for infusing a streak of resilience that has come to define Virat Kohli’s troops.
